Prerecorded or recordable optical audio discs, commonly referred to as "CD's", are in common use. A five inch standard size is typically used for musical recordings and storage of data for reading by a computer. Packaging of CD's has previously included a hard plastic box, often referred to as a "longbox" which in turn holds a smaller, rigid plastic case that contains the CD. The longbox was originally created to facilitate store shelf display of CD's and to create a package large enough to deter theft of the relatively small CD's. The longbox and internal plastic case, however, have generally been perceived as a waste of material which proves to be both uneconomical for the manufacturer and unsound for the environment. Many stores have even taken to removing the CD's from their longboxes before displaying them on their shelves. Consumer's have been shown to prefer the smaller packaging and generally appreciate the conservation efforts taken by the store.
The use of a plastic case is also perceived by many to be a waste of material which in turn presents ecological problems upon disposal. The case is bulky in itself and has sharp corners which can scratch other objects (e.g. automobile or furniture surfaces) which come in contact with the plastic cases. In most instances, a CD does not need the amount of protection offered by such a plastic case. A CD is a durable, rigid plastic object in and of itself and is generally stronger than its surrounding plastic case due to the CD's lack of dimensional shape. However, a CD is susceptible to performance degrading scratches on its optical side. A high impact blow to a CD stored in a plastic case might, in fact, shatter the relatively thin cover of a plastic case. Additionally, the hinge of a standard plastic CD case is known in the art to be fragile and an entire after market exists for empty, replacement plastic CD cases due to breakage of the hinge and of the box.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to develop other forms of CD holders. U.S. Pat. No. 5,147,036 discloses a compact disc packaging scheme which includes a separate envelope for receiving a CD and a protective jacket having a pouch for receiving the protective envelope. This two part system is difficult to use and expensive to manufacture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,219,417 discloses a CD package consisting of a plastic holder with a pair of non-plastic panels which fold over the ends of the holder. U.S. Pat. No. 5,236,081 discloses a pair of flip panels which convert a plastic holder into a longbox format. These hybrid constructs still involve the use of plastic parts which are environmentally harmful and difficult to dispose.
Design Pat. Nos. 304,781 and 327,638 disclose CD envelopes with clear observation windows, however, such envelopes provide minimal protection to the CD contained therein. Furthermore, such envelopes are fixed per their specific designs, which do not include wallet-like containment systems.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,154,284 discloses a compact disc package which is constructed like a double fold matchbook cover. A disc is contained in a notched sleeve which is formed by folding and adhering a portion of the cover over upon itself. After formation of the sleeve, the cover contains two folds so that a front and back cover exist to surround the sleeve portion. This double fold system utilizes extra material to create a second fold and separate cover that adds expense and complexity to the device.
Hence a CD holder or sleeve is needed which is inexpensive to construct and efficiently stores CD's of varying sizes in a single packaging scheme. This holder or sleeve should use a minimum amount of folded, non-plastic material to achieve its necessary storage and display purposes.